Murkowski Welcomes Funding to Reduce Alaskans’ High Energy Costs
Federal Government Releases LIHEAP Funds to Provide Heating Bill Relief
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) welcomed the announcement that over $15 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are headed to the state to help Alaskans with their home heating bills.
The State of Alaska will receive $9,151,603 from the LIHEAP Block Grant that will be distributed to Alaskans through the DHHS Division of Public Assistance. An additional $6,515,817 will be distributed to Native tribes and tribal associations, as listed in the table below. These funds comprise 90 percent of Alaska's LIHEAP funding for Fiscal Year 2017, and were included in the Continuing (Appropriations) Resolution that passed the Senate with Murkowski's support at the end of September. This funding also comes after the Obama administration tried to slash the LIHEAP program in Fiscal Year 2017 - a move that would have harmed Alaskans but was rejected by Congress.
“As I travel around the state, I regularly meet Alaskans who are concerned about their ability to pay to heat their homes, and I know many are bracing for even higher bills as we head into the winter months. Thankfully, starting today, thousands of Alaskans are getting some relief, as over $15 million in LIHEAP funds are making their way to our state,” said Senator Murkowski. “These funds will make a crucial difference throughout Alaska, from Aniak to Yakutat. And I will continue to work to lower our energy costs - through my bipartisan energy bill and other measures - so that Alaskans will no longer need to rely on these funds just to stay warm."
Below is a list of funds and funding levels for Alaska Native tribes and associations.
|
Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association |
$166,074 |
|
Aniak Traditional Council |
$149,992 |
|
Association of Village Council Presidents |
$2,398,836 |
|
Bristol Bay Native Association |
$902,444 |
|
Chuathbaluk Traditional Council |
$18,801 |
|
Cook Inlet |
$260,079 |
|
Kenaitze Indian Tribe |
$118,305 |
|
Kodiak Area Native Association |
$40,735 |
|
Orutsararmuit Native Council |
$219,344 |
|
Seldovia Village |
$10,967 |
|
Tanana Chiefs Conference |
$1,497,006 |
|
Tlingit & Haida Central Council |
$701,900 |
|
Yakutat Tlingit Tribe |
$31,334 |
For more information on qualifying details, click here.
Murkowski is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where she has written a broad, bipartisan energy bill featuring a range of provisions that will help lower energy costs in Alaska. She also serves at the Chairman of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.
